The Broadway League reversed itself on September 9 and chose to get theaters to dim their lights in honor of Joan Rivers.
The league had said on September 8 that Joan Rivers did not meet the criteria for the honor, triggering a controversy when several theater owners said they would turn off their marquee lights on September 9 anyway. An online petition was launched and several celebrities came out in favor of granting the honor.
The organization changed course Tuesday afternoon, saying the lights would dim at 6:45 PM for one minute.
“Joan Rivers loved Broadway and we loved her,” Charlotte St. Martin, the league’s executive director, said in a statement.
“Due to the outpouring of love and respect for Joan Rivers from our community and from her friends and fans worldwide, the marquees of Broadway theatres in New York will be dimmed in her memory tonight.”
The Broadway League reversed itself and chose to get theaters to dim their lights in honor of Joan Rivers (photo Getty Images)
Joan Rivers, who died on September 4 at 81, was known primarily as a TV actress and comedian, though she was seen as a champion of Broadway and off-Broadway shows and earned a Tony Award nomination.
Before the league’s reversal, 10 theaters out of 40 were set to break with the league and dim their lights. Theater producer Tom D’Angora had started an online petition asking the league to reverse its decision. It had attracted more than 5,000 signatures.
“I can’t believe we can be denied the last chance to show respect and thank her. I also think if you watch her interviews and documentaries, this would hurt her feelings,” Tom D’Angora said.
“Plus, how hard is it to hit a dimmer switch?”
A spokeswoman for the Rivers family said they were in mourning and didn’t want to comment.
The partial remains of Holly Bobo have been found in Tennessee more than three years after she disappeared, investigators said.
Holly Bobo was a Tennessee nursing student and cousin of country music singer Whitney Duncan and was 20 years old at the moment of her disappearance.
She was last seen alive in 2011. Hundreds of volunteers turned out to search for Holly Bobo, and her case yielded more than $450,000 in reward money offered.
Holly Bobo’s remains were found on September 7 in Decatur County, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Monday night.
Hunters had found a human skull, CNN reported.
The partial remains of Holly Bobo have been found in Tennessee more than three years after she disappeared
District Attorney Matt Stowe said he is “ready, willing and able to seek the death penalty in this case.”
“We are going to make sure that everyone who played a part in the heinous crime that has attacked the peace and dignity of the great state of Tennessee faces a consequence for that,” Matt Stowe said Monday night.
Two men have been charged in connection with Holly Bobo’s death: Jason Wayne Autry and Zachary Adams.
Jason Wayne Autry and Zachary Rye Adams have been charged with murder and aggravated kidnapping in the case. Both have pleaded not guilty.
Tennessee brothers Mark and Jeffrey Pearcy were charged with evidence tampering and as accessories after the fact.
Holly Bobo’s brother has told authorities he saw a man in camouflage leading Bobo away from their home in the town of Darden in April 2011. Volunteers from at least five counties searched for the student, but to no avail.
Ray Rice’s wife, Janay Palmer Rice, says she is “hurt beyond words” over how her husband has been treated after the NFL star was sacked for punching her.
Ray Rice has been released by the Baltimore Ravens and suspended indefinitely by the NFL after a video emerged of him hitting his then-fiancée.
The CCTV footage shows them in a lift at the Revel casino in Atlantic City.
They hit each other before Ray Rice knocks her “unconscious” with a punch.
The video, released by the Associated Press, was shown to them on Monday night by a law enforcement official. The pair can be heard swearing and shouting at each other and it looks like Janay Palmer spits at Ray Rice just before he hits her.
Janay Palmer falls to the floor, and he then drags her from the lift, where he is met by hotel staff.
One of them can be heard saying: “She’s drunk, right?”
And then: “No cops.”
Ray Rice does not seem to respond.
A video of Ray Rice pulling Janay Palmer from the lift first emerged months ago on TMZ. It didn’t show the full attack.
Janay Palmer and Ray Rice have since married.
In a post on Instagram, Janay Rice says it feels like a “horrible nightmare” and seemingly defends her husband.
She blames the media and public outcry for taking “something away from the man I love that he has worked his ass off for all his life”.
After suggesting the pair regret the incident she said it has left them feeling hurt, embarrassed, alone and without happiness.
“THIS IS OUR LIFE… Just know we will continue to grow & show the world what real love is!”
Ray Rice has been released by the Baltimore Ravens and suspended indefinitely by the NFL after a video emerged of him hitting his then-fiancée Janay Palmer (photo AP)
Things are continuing to get worse for Ray Rice – Nike have confirmed they have dropped him as one of their sponsored athletes and EA Sports are removing him from their 2015 version of the NFL game Madden.
Meanwhile, local businesses in Baltimore have begun offering discounted goods in return for Ray Rice jerseys.
Hersh’s pizzeria posted their offer on Facebook: “Come trade your Ray Rice Ravens Jersey in for a free pizza at Hersh’s. These jerseys will save us money on toilet paper this week.”
Their neighbors, the No Idea Tavern responded on Twitter with their own offer – a ten dollar bar tab for every jersey handed to them.
The latest from the Baltimore Ravens came in a one-sentence press release on September 8.
“The Baltimore Ravens terminated the contract of RB Ray Rice this afternoon,” it said.
Earlier in the day the team had claimed to have never seen the video.
“It’s something we saw for the first time today, all of us,” said Coach John Harbaugh.
“It changed things, of course. It made things a little bit different.”
He said he had spoken with Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, team president Dick Cass and general manager Ozzie Newsome after they saw the video and they then decided to fire Ray Rice.
Back in July, after the shorter video emerged, Ray Rice was suspended for two games for domestic violence. He said his actions were “inexcusable”.
At the time Ozzie Newsome said: “We respect the efforts Ray has made to become the best partner and father he can be.
“That night was not typical of the Ray Rice we know and respect.
“We believe that he will not let that one night define who he is, and he is determined to make sure something like this never happens again.”
Ray Rice was also arrested over the incident and an Atlantic City police summons stated that he caused “bodily injury to Janay Palmer, specifically by striking her with his hand, rendering her unconscious”.
He was charged with felony aggravated assault, but in May he was accepted into a pretrial intervention program that allowed him to avoid jail.
Coach John Harbaugh said at the time: “The thing I appreciate about it is how Ray has handled it afterward by acknowledging it was wrong and he’ll do everything he can do to make it right.
“That’s what you ask for when someone does a wrong thing. So, I’m proud of him for that.”
The NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has announced that, based on the new video evidence, Ray Rice has been suspended indefinitely.
“We requested from law enforcement any and all information about the incident, including the video from inside the elevator,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said on Monday morning.
“That video was not made available to us and no one in our office has seen it until today.”
This echoes what Roger Goodell said on August 1 during the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction weekend, when he claimed they were still “evaluating” the situation.
“I’m not going to go into what he told us or anything or if it matches or if it doesn’t,” Ravens receiver Torrey Smith said.
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is what you see. It wasn’t a pleasant site at all.”
The White House has also released a statement saying: “The President is the father of two daughters.
“And like any American, he believes that domestic violence is contemptible and unacceptable in a civilized society.
“Hitting a woman is not something a real man does, and that’s true whether or not an act of violence happens in the public eye, or, far too often, behind closed doors.”
So far Ray Rice’s lawyer, Michael Diamondstein, has declined to comment
Ray Rice hasn’t spoken often to the media, but on July 31 he said it was “something I have to live with the rest of my life”.
President Barack Obama has met Congressional leaders to outline and press his case for an expanded military campaign against Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Iraq and Syria.
Barack Obama is discussing his strategy with leaders from both parties at the White House.
The talks come ahead of the president’s speech to the nation on Wednesday night.
It is not clear whether Barack Obama will seek Congressional authorization for an increased military role.
Tuesday’s meeting with Congressional leaders comes a year after lawmakers blocked Barack Obama’s previous plans for missile strikes against Syria.
Since then, the ISIS jihadist group has taken control of large swathes of Iraq and Syria.
In June it declared the creation of a “caliphate” or Islamic state.
In the past month, ISIS militants have beheaded two American journalists in protest against US airstrikes on its forces in Iraq.
Barack Obama has ruled out the possibility of a US ground operation against ISIS but has signaled he may expand airstrikes to include Syria.
While leaders in Congress have made it clear they are not interested in pursuing a vote on military action, some lawmakers have said any airstrikes or military action should be authorised by them.
Barack Obama has ruled out the possibility of a US ground operation against ISIS but has signaled he may expand airstrikes to include Syria (photo NBC)
Republican Senator Rand Paul told the website Politico that if Barack Obama does not ask for authorization, “it would show a disregard for the Constitution, and for the history of our country”.
Other lawmakers are more cautious about committing themselves to potentially risky military action, especially with the approach of Congressional mid-term elections in November.
According to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, a large majority of the American public views ISIS as a serious threat to the US and widely supports airstrikes in Iraq and Syria.
About 100 Americans are believed to have joined the militants and the US state department has tried to counter this by making a hard-hitting video that tries to dissuade potential recruits.
Barack Obama’s press secretary, Josh Earnest, told Politico on September 8 the president was hoping for a “buy-in” from Congress.
Meanwhile, France has announced it will host an international conference on Iraq on September 15 and President Francois Hollande will visit the country later this week.
On September 8, the US hailed the creation of a new government in Iraq as a major milestone and a crucial step toward defeating the militant group.
Secretary of State John Kerry said Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s cabinet had the “potential to unite all of Iraq’s diverse communities”.
Posts have been shared between the Shia Arab majority, Sunni Arabs and Kurds.
The US had made the approval of a unity government a condition for increased military assistance.
John Kerry is travelling to Saudi Arabia and Jordan this week as part of efforts to build a coalition to confront ISIS.
Apple has unveiled a smartwatch, the Apple Watch, and two new handsets that are larger than previous models – iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
Apple Watch runs apps, acts as a health and fitness tracker and communicates with the iPhone.
While rival smartwatches already exist, experts said Apple had a history of entering sectors relatively late and then changing their direction.
The iPhone 6’s screen measures 4.7in (11.9cm) and the iPhone 6 Plus’s 5.5in (14.0cm) – a change that analysts said should help prevent users migrating to Android.
Apple also announced a new service called Apple Pay, which CEO Tim Cook said he hoped would “replace the wallet” in shops.
The Apple Watch comes in two sizes and is controlled by what Apple calls a “digital crown” – a dial on its side that allows content on its screen to be magnified or scrolled through, and can also be pressed inwards to act as a home button.
The display is a touchscreen that can detect the difference between a light tap and heavier pressure from the user’s fingers. In addition, the device runs Siri – Apple’s voice-controlled “personal assistant”.
It offers a variety of different watchfaces, can alert the user to notifications, act as a heart rate monitor and show maps.
Apple has unveiled two new handsets that are larger than previous models, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus (photo Apple)
Apple said that apps could be processed on an iPhone, but displayed on the watch in order to extend battery life. It did not say how often the device needed to be recharged.
Although some of these features are available from competing products, one observer said the device had the potential to ignite the wearable tech sector.
Apple Watch – which comes in three different editions – relies on its user owning an iPhone 5 or more recent model.
It will cost $349 – which is more than recently announced Android Wear watches from Motorola, Sony and others – and will not be available until “early 2015”.
While Apple Watch was the most anticipated product, the company’s new handsets are likely to be its biggest earners.
Apple said that the A8 chip featured in the new phones would provide 25% faster compute performance than before.
The improved resolutions – dubbed “retina HD” – mean that the iPhone 6 offers 326 pixels per inch and the iPhone 6 Plus 401ppi. While better than before, the resolutions are still beaten in terms of raw numbers by Samsung’s flagships – the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 4 – and the HTC One.
New sensors include a barometer, which Apple said would help fitness apps distinguish whether the owner was running up a mountain or along a flatter surface.
The M8 co-processor can now estimate distances as well, which may should also help provide more accurate readings.
iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be available for sale on September 19.
Cher has been forced to postpone Albany and Manchester dates of her Dressed To Kill Tour’s second legs after she was diagnosed with an acute viral infection.
Instead of taking the stage, Cher, 68, will be resting up at home.
The two shows have been postponed until early October, with the singer now set to perform in Albany on October 6 and Manchester on October 7.
Cher postponed Albany and Manchester dates after she was diagnosed with an acute viral infection (photo Getty Images)
Cher is expected to play in Allentown, Pennsylvania on September 15.
The Dressed to Kill Tour, which has featured rock icon Pat Benatar and pop legend Cyndi Lauper as opening acts, is Cher’s eighth solo tour overall.
The tour opened March 22 in Phoenix and has already grossed over $55 million.
According to the World Health Organization, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed 2,288 people, with half of them dying in the last three weeks.
The WHO said that 47% of the deaths and 49% of the total 4,269 cases had come in the 21 days leading up to September 6.
It also warned that thousands more cases could occur in Liberia, which has had the most fatalities.
The Ebola outbreak, which was first reported in Guinea in March this year, has also spread to Sierra Leone and Nigeria.
In Nigeria, eight people have died out of 21 cases, while one case of Ebola has been confirmed in Senegal, the WHO said in its latest update.
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed 2,288 people, with half of them dying in the last three weeks
On Monday, the agency called on organizations combating the outbreak in Liberia to scale up efforts to control the outbreak “three-to-four fold”.
Ebola spreads between humans by direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or organs, or indirectly through contact with contaminated environments.
However, the WHO says conventional means of controlling the outbreak, which include avoiding close physical contact with those infected and wearing personal protective equipment, were not working well in Liberia.
Meanwhile, the US says it will help the African Union mobilize 100 African health workers to the region and contribute an additional $10 million in funds to deal with the outbreak.
The announcement comes as a fourth US aid worker infected with the deadly virus was transported to a hospital in Atlanta for treatment.
Two other aid workers who were treated at the same hospital have since recovered from an Ebola infection.
Jazz composer and arranger Gerald Wilson, whose career spanned more than 75 years, has died at the age of 96.
Gerald Wilson’s son, jazz guitarist Anthony Wilson, said his father died on September 8 at his Los Angeles home from pneumonia.
The big band leader began his career in the late 1930s as a trumpeter for Jimmy Lunceford’s band before forming his own big band in 1944 featuring female trombonist Melba Listo.
He played and worked as a composer-arranger with the likes of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Carter and Dizzy Gillespie, and he arranged music for Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae and Bobby Darin.
Gerald Wilson, who was born in Shelby, Mississippi, and later moved with his family to Detroit, started out on piano and bought his first trumpet at age 11. During his tenure as a trumpeter with Lunceford, he arranged the hit tunes Hi Spook and Yard Dog Mazurka.
Gerald Wilson began his career in the late 1930s as a trumpeter for Jimmy Lunceford’s band before forming his own big band in 1944 featuring female trombonist Melba Listo
After four years with Lunceford and a stint in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Gerald Wilson settled in Los Angeles, where he worked in the bands of Benny Carter, Les Hite and Phil Moore before forming his own band. He worked with Billie Holiday on the singer’s tour of the South in 1949.
Gerald Wilson led his own bands in the ’50s and ’60s, but took frequent hiatuses as he became one of the most in demand arrangers and orchestrators in jazz and pop music. He wrote more than 60 charts for Charles, scored motion pictures such as Otto Preminger’s Anatomy of a Murder, and served as the conductor and music director of TV’sThe Red Foxx Show.
However, despite his commercial success, Gerald Wilson never gave up his dedication to jazz.
His marriage to a Mexican-American, Josefina Villasenor Wilson, led him to incorporate Latin music into his jazz compositions. His tune, Viva Tirado, dedicated to bullfighter Jose Ramon Tirado, became a Top 40 pop hit for the rock group El Chicano in 1970. He also composed his first piece for symphony orchestra, Debut: 5/21/72, on a commission from Zubin Mehta and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Gerald Wilson became famous for his dance-like style of conducting, which he said helped listeners know what they were hearing.
Michael Schumacher has left a Swiss hospital to continue his recovery at home, his manager Sabine Kehm has announced.
Sabine Kehm said in a statement that he had made “progress”, but there was “a long and difficult road ahead”.
Former F1 champion Michael Schumacher suffered a head injury in a skiing accident in France in December last year and was transferred to the Swiss hospital in June.
Michael Schumacher’s family said in June that he had come out of a medically induced coma to reduce swelling in his brain.
He spent six months at a hospital in France after his accident, before being transferred to the hospital in Lausanne. His family home is in Gland, which is on the shores of Lake Geneva, some 25 miles from Lausanne.
“Henceforth, Michael’s rehabilitation will take place at his home. Considering the severe injuries he suffered, progress has been made in the past weeks and months,” Sabine Kehm said in a statement on September 9.
Michael Schumacher has left a Swiss hospital to continue his recovery at home
The statement did not give any indication of whether there had been a change in the state of Michael Schumacher’s health.
“We ask that the privacy of Michael’s family continue to be respected, and that speculations about his state of health are avoided,” it added.
Michael Schumacher’s family and manager also thanked the team at CHUV Lausanne hospital “for their thorough and competent work”.
He underwent two operations to remove blood clots from his brain before he was put into a medically induced coma to try to reduce swelling.
Investigators probing the accident at the French ski resort of Meribel said Michael Schumacher had been going at the speed of “a very good skier” at the time of his crash.
Michael Schumacher had been skiing off-piste when he fell and hit a rock, they said.
Last month, a man arrested on suspicion of leaking Michael Schumacher’s medical files was found hanged in his cell.
The man, who has not been named, was a manager at Swiss air rescue firm Rega, which was involved in the transfer of Schumacher from Grenoble, France, to Lausanne.
Michael Schumacher’s medical records were allegedly stolen and offered for sale to several newspapers.
A man has been killed in an apparent shark attack on September 9 at the popular tourist destination of Byron Bay, the most easterly point on the Australian mainland, officials say.
The 50-year-old man sustained severe injuries on his right leg at Byron Bay in New South Wales.
A swimmer brought him in to the beach but he was pronounced dead.
Beaches in the area have been closed for 24 hours and people are being warned to stay out of the water.
“At 10:45 police and paramedics were called to Main Beach after reports of a shark attack,” New South Wales police said in a statement.
The man was in the water when he was bitten by what was believed to be a shark, they said.
“He was seen floating in shallow water, close to the shore line, and dragged onto the beach. An ambulance was called and he was pronounced dead a short time later,” the statement said.
Police said the wife of the man – who has not been identified – was watching from the shore, ABC reported.
A man has been killed in an apparent shark attack at the popular tourist destination of Byron Bay
Mark Hickey said he tried to help the man.
“I saw what looked like seaweed but it was blood in the water,” he said.
“I didn’t know it was a person but when I realized, I ran out and waded to the bank and grabbed him and did CPR but it was too late.”
Mark Hickey told local media he saw a “six or seven foot” shark in the water.
Rescue organization Surf Lifesaving Australia said the beach was not supervised at the time of the attack as it had occurred a week before seasonal duties.
“But at the council’s request, lifeguards will be on duty for at least the next 24 hours ensuring the water remains clear,” it said in a statement.
There have been several shark attacks off Australia’s beaches in recent years.
In April, a woman was killed as she swam off Tathra beach, also in New South Wales.
The Western Australia government, meanwhile, has ordered a cull of sharks, following at least six fatal attacks off the state’s beaches in three years.
Baited hooks have been installed off Perth’s popular beaches. Any shark more than three metres long – which could include Great White, Tiger and Bull sharks – will be shot.
The controversial move prompted thousands of people to take part in protests against the culls.
According to a Dutch preliminary report, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 broke up in mid-air after being hit by “numerous objects” that “pierced the plane at high speed”.
The report released by the Dutch Safety Board said there was “no evidence of technical or human error”.
All 298 people on board died when the plane came down, amid reports it was shot down by pro-Russian rebels.
The plane was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it crashed in eastern Ukraine.
Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 broke up in mid-air after being hit by numerous objects that pierced the plane at high speed (photo EPA)
Dutch aviation investigators relied on information from the black box flight data recorders, air traffic control, satellite images and photos from the scene to compile the preliminary report.
They said the plane “broke up in the air probably as the result of structural damage caused by a large number of high-speed objects that penetrated the aircraft from outside.”
The cockpit voice recorder revealed no signs of any technical faults or an emergency situation, the experts said.
The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 crashed between Krasni Luch in Luhansk region and Shakhtarsk in the region of Donetsk on July 17.
Ukraine’s government and several Western leaders say there is strong evidence that pro-Russian separatists shot down the plane with an anti-aircraft system known as Buk.
Russia has consistently denied allegations that it had supplied any missiles or weapons to the rebels.
Experts from Germany, Australia, Malaysia, the US, the UK, Ukraine and Russia are collaborating on the case.
The board says it expects the final report to be published within a year.
The European Union has formally adopted new sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine crisis.
The new measures include restrictions on large Russian state-owned oil companies raising money on European financial markets.
However, the new measures will come into effect “in the next few days”, not on September 9 as some had expected.
Russia denies accusations by Ukraine and the West that it has been sending troops to help pro-Russian rebels.
EU Council President Herman van Rompuy said the measures were aimed at “promoting a change of course in Russia’s actions destabilizing eastern Ukraine”.
The EU is being deliberately vague about when they will come into force, to allow time to assess the implementation of a cease-fire agreed on September 5.
“Depending on the situation on the ground, the EU stands ready to review the agreed sanctions in whole or in part,” Herman van Rompuy said.
The new EU measures include restrictions on large Russian state-owned oil companies raising money on European financial markets
The cease-fire appears to be holding, although the head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which brokered the deal, described it on September 8 as “shaky”.
Before the truce came into place, pro-Russian separatists made big gains in eastern Ukraine and seized territory a few miles outside the strategic south-eastern port city of Mariupol.
The gas sector is not affected by the latest sanctions. However, major state-owned oil firms are included, such as Rosneft, which is already targeted by US measures.
Russia has warned that it could block international flights through its airspace if the EU goes ahead with new measures.
Diplomats say the new package will target Russian oil companies Rosneft and Transneft and the petroleum unit of state gas monopoly Gazprom.
Their access to financial markets will be restricted – a serious matter for Rosneft, which last month asked the Russian government for a $42 billion loan.
Also on September 8, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine have released 1,200 prisoners.
The releases followed the cease-fire deal, he said, which included an exchange of prisoners.
He was speaking during a visit to Mariupol, which has come under shelling from pro-Russian rebels in recent days.
Petro Poroshenko said during his visit on Monday that the city’s defenses would be reinforced and that rebels would suffer a “crushing defeat” if they advanced on the city.
Mariupol is the last city in Donetsk region still held by the Ukrainian government and is a strategic port on the route to Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia in March.
Fighting in eastern Ukraine has left some 2,600 people dead since April.
The sanctions would also expand the visa bans and asset freezes on Russian officials and entities, including separatist leaders in Ukraine.
Earlier Russian PM Dmitry Medvedev warned that Moscow would respond “asymmetrically” to further sanctions.
A Russian airspace ban “could drive many struggling airlines into bankruptcy”, Dmitry Medvedev told a Russian daily.
Italian soprano Magda Olivero has died at the age of 104 in Milan after a career spanning more than 70 years.
Magda Olivero died on September 8 in hospital after suffering a stroke last month, Italian news agency Ansa reported.
She made her debut in the 1930s but stopped performing after getting married in 1941.
Magda Olivero was coaxed back on to the stage 10 years later and enjoyed renewed stardom in Europe and the US.
She was still performing in public at the age of 99.
Magda Olivero made her debut in the 1930s but stopped performing after getting married in 1941
La Scala opera house in Milan – where Magda Olivero made her earliest performances – asked the public to hold a moment of silence before a performance on September 8.
The opera house described Magda Olivero’s voice as charismatic, her acting as formidable and her intelligence as “ready and cutting until the end”.
Italian daily La Repubblica said even in March 2010 when she performed at the Palazzo Cusani in Milan her voice was still “grandiose”.
The New York Times described Magda Olivero as a soprano who “for decades whipped audiences around the world into a frenzy of adulation that was operatic even by operatic standards – despite the fact that by her own ready admission she did not possess an especially lovely voice”.
It said that over the years bootleg recordings of Magda Oliver’s voice “passed from hand to covert hand among her legions of acolytes”.
“At live performances, she took the stage to screams of ecstasy and left it to thundering ovations,” the publication said.
Magda Olivero’s signature roles included title parts in Puccini’s Tosca, Umberto Giordano’s Fedora and Luigi Cherubini’s Medea.
The NYPD is investigating the death of Joan Rivers, who passed away on September 4 after reportedly suffering cardiac arrest during a routine surgical procedure the previous week.
Joan Rivers, 81, stopped breathing on August 28 at Yorkville Endoscopy as she underwent an otherwise routine procedure on her vocal chords. The comeddiene was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan later that same day a placed on life support. She died seven days later.
The NYPD is investigating the death of Joan Rivers (photo Getty Images)
A police source told the Hollywood Reporter: “Yes, NYPD is investigating.”
“We investigate all such deaths, meaning <<not by natural causes>>. Although it might end up being ruled natural by the [medical examiner], when it’s not readily apparent, we investigate.”
The New York City’s Medical Examiner’s office said on September 5 that the “cause and manner” of Joan Rivers’ death will “require further studies”.
Yorkville Endoscopy is also under investigation by the New York State Department of Health.
An assault charge against Justin Bieber stemming from an alleged 2013 attack on a limo driver in Toronto has been dropped by the Canadian prosecutors.
A driver who picked up Justin Bieber and his entourage from a nightclub in December 2013 said one of the passengers struck him.
However, a prosecutor said on September 8 the evidence could not prove the singer was the assailant.
Justin Bieber still faces separate assault charges in his native Ontario.
In August, police said Justin Bieber crashed his quad bike into a minivan in Stratford, and was arrested after allegedly getting to a fight with the other vehicle’s driver.
Ontario Provincial Police released him on a promise to appear in court on September 29 on charges of assault and dangerous driving.
Justin Bieber has had multiple legal troubles over the past year but has avoided jail time (photo Getty Images)
His lawyer, Brian Greenspan, has said Justin Bieber’s “peaceful retreat in Stratford this weekend was unfortunately disrupted by the unwelcome presence of the paparazzi”.
“This has regrettably resulted in charges of dangerous driving and assault.”
In the December 2013 case involving the limo driver, prosecutor David Mitchell told a court the Crown had decided to withdraw the charge after a review of the evidence indicated the prosecution would be unable to confirm the assailant was Justin Bieber.
“There were a number of people in the vehicle seated behind the driver at the time of the incident and the Crown is not in a position to establish the identity of the person who came into contact with the complainant beyond a reasonable doubt based on the available evidence,” David Mitchell said, according to the Toronto Sun.
Justin Bieber has had multiple legal troubles over the past year but has avoided jail time.
Last month Justin Bieber pleaded guilty in Florida to careless driving and resisting arrest in a deal that avoided a drugged-driving conviction.
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In July, Justin Bieber pleaded no contest to a vandalism charge in California for throwing eggs at a neighbor’s house.
According to new figures, a surge in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) saw levels of greenhouse gases reach record levels in 2013.
Concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere between 2012 and 2013 grew at their fastest rate since 1984.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says that it highlights the need for a global climate treaty.
The WMO’s annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin doesn’t measure emissions from power station smokestacks but instead records how much of the warming gases remain in the atmosphere after the complex interactions that take place between the air, the land and the oceans.
About half of all emissions are taken up by the seas, trees and living things.
According to the bulletin, the globally averaged amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached 396 parts per million (ppm) in 2013, an increase of almost 3ppm over the previous year.
“The Greenhouse Gas Bulletin shows that, far from falling, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere actually increased last year at the fastest rate for nearly 30 years,” said Michel Jarraud, secretary general of the WMO.
Concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere between 2012 and 2013 grew at their fastest rate since 1984
Atmospheric CO2 is now at 142% of the levels in 1750, before the start of the industrial revolution.
However, global average temperatures have not risen in concert with the sustained growth in CO2, leading to many voices claiming that global warming has paused.
“The climate system is not linear, it is not straightforward. It is not necessarily reflected in the temperature in the atmosphere, but if you look at the temperature profile in the ocean, the heat is going in the oceans,” said Oksana Tarasova, chief of the atmospheric research division at the WMO.
The bulletin suggests that in 2013, the increase in CO2 was due not only to increased emissions but also to a reduced carbon uptake by the Earth’s biosphere.
The scientists at the WMO are puzzled by this development. That last time there was a reduction in the biosphere’s ability to absorb carbon was 1998, when there was extensive burning of biomass worldwide, coupled with El Nino conditions.
“In 2013 there are no obvious impacts on the biosphere so it is more worrying,” said Oksana Tarasova.
“We don’t understand if this is temporary or if it is a permanent state, and we are a bit worried about that.”
“It could be that the biosphere is at its limit but we cannot tell that at the moment.”
The WMO data indicates that between 1990 and 2013 there was a 34% increase in the warming impact on the climate because carbon dioxide and other gases like methane and nitrous oxide survive for such a long time in the atmosphere.
For the first time, the bulletin includes data on the acidification of the seas caused by carbon dioxide.
Every day, according to the WMO, the oceans take up about 4kg of CO2 per person. They believe the current rate of acidification is unprecedented over the last 300 million years.
The evidence of the atmosphere and oceans underlines the need for urgent, concentrated political action to tackle the problem says Michel Jarraud.
“We have the knowledge and we have the tools for action to try keep temperature increases within 2C to give our planet a chance and to give our children and grandchildren a future,” he said.
“Pleading ignorance can no longer be an excuse for not acting.”
The world’s political leaders will gather in New York on September 23 for a special summit called by UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon.
The hope is that this meeting will kick-start longstanding negotiations that aim to deliver a new international climate change by the end of 2015.
The exact legal nature of this agreement is still the subject of contentious debate.
Gavin and Stacey star James Corden has been confirmed as Craig Ferguson’s successor as host of CBS’ The Late Late Show.
“I can’t wait to get started,” said James Corden.
The British comedian said he was “thrilled and honored” to follow the “brilliant” Craig Ferguson and that it was “hugely exciting… to host such a prestigious show”.
James Corden, 36, will take over next year from Ferguson, who has been hosting the late-night talk show since 2005 and is stepping down in December.
James Corden has been confirmed as Craig Ferguson’s successor as host of CBS’ The Late Late Show
His appointment was widely rumored last month but has only now been confirmed by the CBS network.
James Corden’s previous hosting experience includes four stints at the Brit Awards and his presenting role on the Sky panel show A League Of Their Own.
He was recently seen alongside Keira Knightley in the musical romance Begin Again and has a role in big-screen musical Into the Woods, out at Christmas.
In a statement, James Corden said he would do his best “to make a show America will enjoy”.
G.R.L. has entered the UK singles chart at No 11, two days after its member, Simone Battle, was found dead at her home in Los Angeles.
Simone Battle, 25, who joined G.R.L. after being a finalist on The X Factor USA in 2011, was found dead at her home on September 5.
Her death, which has since been ruled a suicide, came as their full debut track Ugly Heart is starting to take off.
G.R.L.’s only previous UK chart appearance was as guest performers on Pitbull’s number six hit Wild Wild Love in May.
G.R.L. has entered the UK singles chart at No 11, two days after Simone Battle was found dead
The four remaining members of the group said in a statement that “words cannot express the depth of our loss” and “we will carry her memory with us in everything we do”.
Meanwhile, X Factor judge Simon Cowell said Simone Battle’s death was “such a loss”.
G.R.L. were put together by Pussycat Dolls creator Robin Antin and were originally intended to be a new version of the Pussycat Dolls after that group split up.
Simone Battle’s death was ruled a suicide by hanging by Los Angeles authorities on September 7.
Guardians of the Galaxy has topped the North American box office again after one of the slowest weekends of the cinema-going year.
The Marvel release took $10.2 million between Friday and Sunday, swelling its overall takings in the US and Canada to more than $294 million.
Overall, though, ticket receipts were down 23% on this time last year.
With no new entries in the Top 10, the highest ranking new release could only muster an 11th place debut.
The Identical, a faith-based musical drama about twin boys separated at birth, took just $1.9 million on what is traditionally a sluggish weekend for North American cinemas.
Guardians of the Galaxy, about a wise-cracking team of renegade heroes, has now claimed the number one spot four times in its six weekends on release in the US and Canada.
Guardians of the Galaxy has topped the North American box office again after one of the slowest weekends of the cinema-going year
The film’s worldwide takings now stand in excess of $586 million, making it the sixth most financially successful production to emerge from Marvel’s comic book universe.
Comic book reboot Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles came second in this week’s countdown after selling $6.5 million in tickets on its fifth weekend on release.
Teenage drama If I Stay claimed third place with takings of $5.8 million, ensuring this week’s top three titles were identical to those of the previous weekend.
Former US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad is being investigated for alleged money-laundering through his wife’s bank account in Vienna, reports from Austria say.
Zalmay Khalilzad is accused of transferring $1.4 million to his wife’s account, Profil magazine reported.
The money is said to be linked to activities involving companies in Iraq and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Zalmay Khalilzad was US ambassador to Iraq and Afghanistan between 2003 and 2007.
Zalmay Khalilzad was US ambassador to Iraq and Afghanistan between 2003 and 2007
According to court documents from May 2013 obtained by Profil magazine, Austrian authorities froze several Vienna-based accounts of his American-Austrian wife, the social scientist and author Cheryl Benard.
Cheryl Benard’s lawyer, Holger Bielesz, says the US authorities have yet to produce any “concrete evidence” against his client.
A decision on Cheryl Bernard’s appeal for her account to be unfrozen is expected soon.
A small meteorite hit the Nicaraguan capital, Managua, on September 6, government officials say.
Residents reported hearing a loud bang and feeling the impact, which left a crater 40ft wide and 16ft deep.
Government spokeswoman Rosario Murillo said the meteorite seemed to have broken off an asteroid which was passing close to Earth.
Rosario Murillo said international experts had been called in to investigate further.
No-one was hurt when it hit the wooded area near the international airport and an air force base.
An adviser to Nicaragua’s Institute of Earth Studies (INETER), Wilfried Strauch, said he was “convinced it was a meteorite” which caused the impact.
A small meteorite hit Managua on September 6
Experts studying the crater said it was not clear whether the meteorite had disintegrated upon impact or had been blasted into soil.
Locals said they heard a large blast just before midnight local time and reported a burning smell.
“We thought it was a bomb because we felt an expansive wave,” Jorge Santamaria told Associated Press news agency.
INETER scientist Jose Millan said that “we need to celebrate the fact that it fell in an area where, thank God, it didn’t cause any danger to the population”.
Managua, which has more than a million inhabitants is densely populated.
“All the evidence that we’ve confirmed at the site corresponds exactly with a meteorite and not with any other type of event,” he said.
“We have the seismic register which coincides with the time of impact, and the typical characteristic that it produces a cone in the place of impact,” he added.
Astronomer Humberto Saballos said the meteorite could have broken off from the 2014RC asteroid which passed Earth at the same time.
2014RC, which is the size of a house, came closest to earth at 18:18 GMT on Sunday, when it passed over New Zealand at a distance of about 25,000 miles.
The asteroid was first discovered on 31 August and, at its closest approach, was about one-tenth of the distance from the centre of Earth to the Moon, NASA said in a statement.
It is expected to orbit near Earth again in the future.
In February 2013, a meteorite exploded over Chelyabinsk in Central Russia, injuring more than 1,000 people.
NASA currently tracks more than 11,000 asteroids in orbits that pass relatively close to Earth.
Kate Middleton and Prince William are “thrilled” that they are expecting their second child.
Kensington Palace said that – as when the duchess was pregnant with Prince George – she was suffering from “very acute morning sickness” and was being treated by doctors at the palace.
Kate Middleton and Prince William are thrilled that they are expecting their second child
Kate Middleton and Prince William’s second baby will become fourth in line to the throne, behind older brother Prince George, who is 13 months old.
Oliver Struempfel set a new world record in beer-mug-carrying on September 7, less than two weeks before the start of Munich’s famous Oktoberfest.
Oliver Struempfel, a 38-year old tax inspector from Abensberg, Bavaria, managed to carry 27 full one-liter beer mugs – or “mass” as they are known in German – over 130 feet.
He works at the Gillemoos festival in Abensberg and took on the beer-carrying challenge after months of training.
Oliver Struempfel set a new world record in beer-mug-carrying at the Gillemoos festival in Abensberg
“I have worked here in the beer tent for the past 17 years, so I have lots of training,” Oliver Struempfel told Reuters after winning the competition at the local Gillamoos beer festival.
Oliver Struempfel admitted that he could not do without “training in a fitness center, especially in winter time.”
